The Evidential problem of evil Flashcards
what is it?
-a posteriori argument
-evidence of evil in the world makes belief in God unjustified
-logical possibility a perfcet god + evil can exist, but evidence goes agianst it
-inductive (evil as evidence against gods existence)
hume
-empiricist
-possible god made evil for reasons ‘but they are unknown to us’
-we r only justified in believing what teh evidence suggests
-cant infer perfect goodness from evil
humes a posteriori evidence of evil
- animal suffering
- creatures have limited abilities to ensure their survival and happiness
- natural evil
- natural disasters
hume quote
“I conclude that however consistent the world may be … with the idea of such a God, it can never provide us with an inference to his existence.”
stephen fry
unnecessary evil
-bone cancer in children
-eye eating insects
js mill
-the extent of evil+suffering in world doesnt suggest a gd god but instead that theres a creator behind the world= must be manevolent creator